Saturn VS Playstation

[Chaosomega]

I have been digging into the past and I remember back in the day. The Saturn had certain titles that were released in Japan only then later to united states only to be on ported on the play station.. I have three of those games such as lunar Silver Star story, lunar eternal blue, Castle Vania sypthomy of the night. I think if they where ported over to the united states on Saturn then the Saturn would prove to be a worthy adversary over the ps. The Saturn I feel was far superior than the ps and had more potential. I think the Saturn was just under estimated by the main stream. With the play station they have had a bigger game library than Sega which was they’re down fall sadly the dream cast had the same fate.. Due to Microsoft getting into the mix of things during that time it was like you didn’t know which way to look so many consoles so many options lol. Anyways this is what I think I’m just adding my two cents on what I think about the Saturn. Even till this day console wars is a vicious world just for one company to be #1. Mabey sony will be have a taste of its own medicine one day by Nintendo. So sony can one day pull out then again who knows.

[Manji]

always a contentious issue... Saturn vs Playstation and to a lesser extent, Nintendo 64. i guess N64 came out a little later than those two and also they had a CD-ROM drive in common. i think the Saturn most definitely outclassed the Playstation in 2D effects and graphics, but the type of programming needed for competent 3D construction, design and texturing was apparently more difficult on Saturn. which doesnt mean it wasn't capable of PS-like 3D, but that programmers needed to take more time on it.

i personally think some games turned out better on Saturn. i think i remember reading that Tomb Raider was actually planned first as a Sega Saturn game (PC first but first for home console), and it was entirely 3D of course. so the fact developers were aware the Saturn could technically pull these things off, i suppose was evidence the hardware could absolutely compete with whatever the Playstation could do. i think the ease of use made PS more attractive for developers and programmers.

and Sega put a lot of work into the Saturn's 2D capabilities at a time when 3D was becoming all the rage. everything needed to be 3D or else the consumer demand wouldn't be as strong, since 3D at the time was a farily new, emerging technology for home console games.

i think Sega had invested too much into other projects and couldn't support the Saturn in the US market properly like they did with the Genesis. the Sega CD and 32X were big money projects and didnt quite work out the way Sega wanted, although i wouldn't personally consider the Sega CD a failure since it had really great game experiences. the setbacks started for Sega around that time and even the inital success of the Dreamcast couldn't keep up with the financial losses from the previous generation.

history is a funny thing, but the Sega Saturn was everything the Playstation could be and more in my opinion. i can't complain because the days of my PS gaming were unforgettable, but i feel like Sega shot themselves in the foot with a few bad decisions and that pretty much sealed the fate of a great system like the Saturn. if Sega of America and Sega of Japan were on the same page during those years, it would have been incredible. because games like Lunar and Castlevania would have given the Saturn a deeper library of quality games that it needed to have when competing against the Playstation. remember that the Sega Saturn had a lot of great games that never came out in the U.S., so if they had been on top of localizing games like Grandia (which turned out to be a successful game on the PS), the average person looking for games to buy would have to have considered the Saturn more seriously.

[Chaosomega]

I agree sega pretty much did shot them selfs in the foot. It just burns me that sega of Japan and America wernt on the same page. Hell if i lived in japan was like holy shit grandia and castle vania sypomthy of the night hell yeah. I dunno it just werids me out to think wtf how did these games getting ported to PS when it was orgenialy saturn in japan lol wtf is going on lol. I just like how everything with the saturn looks enhanced and ps not at all. I was always found of the saturns graphics with its pixel 3d graphics. Oh hey I was wondering with the st.key converter can I play import games that I burned onto cdr? Cuz I have a converter that works like new still. Just wondering if the mod chip will work like that.

[xDerekRx]

This is a tough debate and sort of an unfair one.

I had a Saturn first. Got it for Xmas from the parents when it came with 3 free games. I slowly got a PSX and an N64 over the next couple years but the Sega Saturn has a huge place in my heart.

Besides playing games like Nights and Sonic 3d blast (saturn version underrated to me) right off the bat, it was the conversion FPS games that made the system very cool to own at the time. In 1997-98, games like Duke Nukem and Quake (and to some extent hexen) were big on PC and I didnt have a good enough PC to play them. The Saturn versions were easily the best home versions of the games and I bought them as soon as they were released. I also got to play Area 51 for the first time at home on the Saturn. At the time it was the best Arcade shooter out there and to own it on a console was like a dream to me (remember this 1997!)

The fighting games were also very fun for the Saturn upon release. Fighting Vipers and Virtual Fighter to name a couple.

So the Saturn got me hooked through most of its FPS conversions to the console and its early set of in house games.

But I probably ended up buying more N64 and Playstation games as the years went on just due to obvious reasons. Mario 64, Silent Hill... endless releases for the other 2 systems.

In reality the PS1 might be the best classic system just from sheer volume of great games.

But on a personal level, the Sega Saturn underrated nature and its solid personal favorites will always make the System my #1. Despite its failures and little attention, it was able to at least pump out a few games let the system die proud. Even its final releases were excellent and showed the systems power. Panzer Dragoon Saga was a fantastic game that cant be found on any other system. Little things like the Netlink and Netlink games just add to the charm that PSx and N64 couldnt actually match.

The reason Saturn wins out for me, among the reasons listed above, is that its fun finding the cool things that the Saturn was able to accomplish despite its losing the battle. Its like a hidden gem of a system where its masterpieces can appreciated more because of how few of them there were.

Its funny because Saturn was my personal favorite back in 97 even though I never played 90% of the best titles until the last 2 years. Sonic R and Panzer Saga are all time favorites now and I never got to play them before. So Im still discovering fresh games to love on the system 13 years later. After all these years I still have at least 5-6 more top titles to still play including Burning Rangers.

[Chaosomega]

Yeah derek games like burning rangers, Sonic R, for the saturn are like gems to me that and mega man 8 and x4 is just awesome on the saturn. I got a ps1 back when the saturn died and was no longer producing games. That was back when dreamcast came out. Thats when I got a ps1 because of other rpg games that came out for it. The saturn to me will always be number 1 the saturn has always been able to put that charm on me lol with its polygonal graphics. I just modded my saturn not to long ago and I am able to play games that go for a dime and dozen on ebay. Like panzer dragoon saga and burning rangers. The saturn to me is like how sonic feels about chaos emeralds lol.

P.s. Sonic 3D blast is epic on the on saturn.

[Isaac [GER]]

Well back in the good ol' days (yay flashback xD) all my friends had "Playstations" and were all like: Hey c'mon buy a PSX it owns the Saturn and N64! They were all so excited but I didnt want to waste money on a system I didnt like. After all of 'em got themselves RE2 and RE3 they were even mor excited, but they never played RE1. So, one day I invited them all to my house and we all were playing RE1 from the beginning till the end. Afterwards they stopped complaining about me having a Saturn, even two of 'em bought Saturns. In 1999 we all had Dreamcasts anyway I kicked their asses in Quake and had a good time playing PSO till I fell asleep.

I never even once regretted buying a Saturn, the only thing I was let down by was the fact there was no "Saturn Shenmue", but Im still playing it from time to time on my DC so its ok.

[xDerekRx]

Yeah derek games like burning rangers, Sonic R, for the saturn are like gems to me that and mega man 8 and x4 is just awesome on the saturn. I got a ps1 back when the saturn died and was no longer producing games. That was back when dreamcast came out. Thats when I got a ps1 because of other rpg games that came out for it. The saturn to me will always be number 1 the saturn has always been able to put that charm on me lol with its polygonal graphics. I just modded my saturn not to long ago and I am able to play games that go for a dime and dozen on ebay. Like panzer dragoon saga and burning rangers. The saturn to me is like how sonic feels about chaos emeralds lol.

P.s. Sonic 3D blast is epic on the on saturn.

Im glad someone agrees about Sonic 3d Blast. Even some on here dismiss it as garbage. But its not simply a port from the Genesis. It looks nicer and the soundtrack is epic in itself.

[Warp2063]

Actually, I have more nostalgia for the PlayStation than the Saturn. Even more than that, I have nostalgia for the N64. The N64 was the system I really wanted, but my parents wouldn't buy me a game console. Sure, I had the Game Boy Pocket, but I wanted an actual current gaming console. Nintendo was the obvious choice for me, as I loved the Mario and Zelda games. I wanted to play Ocarina of Time, Mario Party, Super Mario 64, and all those other great games. Finally, I was forced to start saving up for the N64 myself, as my parents still wouldn't budge. Once I had saved up about half, my mom realized I was serious about getting the system, and that I would not be deterred. So, in an effort to prevent me from having full ownership (and therefore control) over the system, she paid the other half. I didn't get the system until around the time the Dreamcast came out... but at least I finally had it.

The PlayStation I didn't get until after the PS2 had finally released. I convinced my mom to buy it for DDR, although I also got her to pick up the Final Fantasy games. Metal Gear Solid I eventually procured on my own.

I don't have a HUGE love for the PlayStation line... they were interesting systems, each plagued by its own set of problems. In fact, the first Sony system I've truly enjoyed almost completely has been the PlayStation 3. I got into the PlayStation series mostly for its wide assortment of RPGs. However, as I got into it so late, I don't have the same nostalgia for it as I do for the N64.

The Saturn is relatively new to me. I remember hearing about it back when it was out, but as I don't remember any of my friends having it (they were all Sony or Nintendo fans), I forgot about it. I did remember reading about the NetLink in an old issue of Boys' Life magazine (although I thought I remembered it being called the Sega Satellite... maybe that was a working title?), but beyond that, I didn't really remember the Saturn. It wasn't until 2008 that I was watching a video with a collection of boot screens from various systems that I saw the Saturn's boot screen... and I was intrigued. After a little research into the system, I found and joined this site, and ended up buying a Saturn I found at a scary game store out by my school. It didn't work properly, however, and I wasn't able to get it working until I returned home and had a proper set of tools to work with.

While I did have nostalgia for Sega, thanks to playing Sonic the Hedgehog on a neighbor's Genesis and playing various demos and games on our local YMCA's Dreamcast, I had never owned my own Sega system until I bought my first Dreamcast and then Saturn in 2008, and then later my Genesis and SegaCD. Unfortunately, because I only recently became aware of the Saturn, I really have no nostalgia for it. I was fascinated to find out that Shenmue was originally under development for the Saturn, and that it had the NetLink for play over analog phone lines. I bought it mainly as a curiosity more than for actual specific titles. Despite the fact that it has some really good games, many of them are more expensive than I'm willing to spring for, especially due to the fact that I have so little time available to devote to gaming these days... rather unfortunate, as I have a decent collection that hasn't been played, many of which are time-consuming RPGs.

I think it's ironic that I own more Saturns than any other game system, considering how relatively little nostalgia I have for it. =P

[shinoco]

Oh god. The sony controller dosne't make sense for gaming. It's dpad is malfunctionable stiff and unreasonable. For any game that requires precise movement and a lot of fast pressing, a loose Saturn dpad destroys every Sony.

For this reason alone, I will never buy a sony. The controller decides the entire gameplay, I need one that makes sense for gaming.

Every sony is entirely over priced, with less hardware power. Every sony has less ram than all of their competitors, how does this make sense? Ram is extremely important for gaming, the 2d on Saturn destroys Sony because of ram, and if you actually look at Saturn 3d a little closer, it has bigger environments. Why? It uses squares not triangle polygons. This means characters and small objects take less polygons (technically its way easier and uses less to make a good looking 3d model of character or small object out of square, for example think of the arms and legs and shoes on any model, with squares you use less polygons for this, and any objects in the area that are small, with triangles, 2 triangles form a square, so a lot of objects on PS1 made of triangles actually can be made with one polygon on Saturn, and it takes 2 on PSX. Meaning you get way more polygons to create areas and backgrounds, larger detailed areas on Saturn.

Saturn can use better colors, every sony is more dull and faded looking.

No need to bother explaining games, sony games are mostly trendy and common theme and Saturn are hardcore for gamers who play a lot. Sony is more like people who turn a system on a few times a week to see common attractions and themes, while Saturn is more about complexity, deep RPG's that most wouldnt buy because they are too complex, and hardcore challenges that most won't buy outside of Asia because they give up on challenge.

This is fact, in Asia Sega is extremely popular to this Day, know this, Pico is still in Japan stores, based on 11 million software sales. Compare population to sales. In other countries, it's more about flashy teen and mature themes, gore, blood, flash graphic, show off special effect. In asia, gameplay of unique and challenge is highly appreciated, every Sega sold great in Asia.

[Auto-Fox]

Just a correction on that: The Sega Genesis was an abysmal failure in Japan. This was only due to the fact that the PC Engine beat it to the 16-bit punch, though, I think.
The Dreamcast wasn't so hot either, compared to the Gamecube and PS2.
The Saturn, though, inexplicably blew away all comers in Japan when it was released. Lucky for us.
Personally, I find the PS1 to be a somewhat shallow system, believe it or not. There were no titles on it that you can pick out in a crowd, really, besides a handful. Meanwhile, everything for the N64, almost, generated rave reviews, and the Saturn had a lot of titles that were recognized as best in their class.
So, yeah.

[shinoco]

Honestly, I'd like to see some proof of that. I have never ever even heard anything about Genesis being like that in Japan. There's loads of games for it which tells me it most likely sold quite well. How did it get 50,000,000 worldwide sales? A lot of these were Asia because most preferred SNES in USA.

Dreamcast had games coming out in 2004 in Japan. It did quite well.

[grolt]

The Saturn was really the only successful SEGA system in Japan. Even the Mark III/Master System sold worse in Japan than it did in America. The Dreamcast had promise, but was unable to compete with its lack of a DVD drive. The Mega Drive/Genesis didn't do well there initially because really, the system didn't have a killer app until Sonic, and that was already nearly 3 years into the system's life in Japan. The PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 had a much fuller library of Japanese-friendly shooters, sims and the like, and the Famicom was still gangbusters there. It was too little, too late for the Mega Drive in Japan.

As for the debate at hand, the Saturn is an obvious winner for me. I bought the Saturn at launch as a kid, but within a couple years I also had a PlayStation. Final Fantasy VII made me migrate to Sony land, and honestly, it's still one of the best games I've ever played. But that's the thing, the PSX thrived because it secured the third parties. Almost all the best games for the system are developed by someone else, be it Squaresoft, Capcom or a second-party like Naughty Dog. It's a testament to SEGA's thriving as a first-party empire that they were able to compete for as long as they did. I think SEGA hit their peak creatively during the Saturn-era, perhaps because of the fact that the PSX was doing so well - they had to overcompensate to compete.

It's easy to look at the US libraries between the two systems and declare the PSX the winner, but if you compare the systems before SEGA threw in the towel in '98, the Saturn has the better library, for sure. Unrivaled RPGS (PDS, Dark Savior, Shining Force III), world class arcade games (Sega Rally, Virtua Cop, Virtual-On), great platformers (Astal, Bug, Clockwork Knight), 2D/3D fighting dominance (VF2, Street Fighter Collection, UMK3) and one-of-a-kind games like NiGHTS, Burning Rangers and Guardian Heroes, that's just the tip of the Saturn's impressive library. And graphically, the PSX didn't have anything even close to the graphics displayed in Sonic R until much later in its life.

More than just comparing the systems game to game, though, the Saturn's games generally displayed more of a Japanese-centric creativity and visual style. Games were a lot more colorful (as they were earlier for the Master System versus the NES) and more eccentric, emotional and unique. The PlayStation, right down to the bland grey design and sterile control pad, appealed to Joe America, like the Xbox 360 does today, or the Genesis with all its sports titles did before. Back when I first had a Saturn I could just never understand why people were eating up Ridge Racer or Battle Arena Toshinden when there were games like Daytona USA and Virtua Fighter on the Saturn.

Yes, the controller was way better on the Saturn (especially when you look at NiGHTS pad, but even the dogbone Saturn controller controls beautifully). More than that, though, the Saturn is just a more robust piece of hardware - better built and with more extras, like the internal hard drive, animated space ship during CD audio play, NetLink expansion, etc. These is just way more for you to do with the Saturn, even all these years later.

While I lament that the PSX won the system war, I'll certainly admit that there are a ton of great PSX games that I still really enjoy to this day, like FFVII, Parappa the Rapper, Crash 2, Metal Gear Solid, Tobal No. 1, etc. For my money, though, the Saturn games still resonate greater as a whole. There was just a lot more creativity, both in terms of gameplay and graphics, that really hasn't been duplicated since. There still aren't games out there like Panzer Dragoon Saga, NiGHTS or Dark Savior. As long as the games are still out there, though, it doesn't matter who won, because now we can just enjoy the games without the hype...and time has been very kind to our little black box!

[Peter]

I think grolt just nailed it.

[JerryTerrifying]

My first instinct is to give it to the PS1. That's the system that I had back then that went on to influence me the most as a gamer. There are definitely more amazing games on the ps1 but what do you expect when you've litterally got games ranging into the thousands.

The Saturn however is the most innovative system of that generation. For its smaller library of games it has a higher ratio of amazing titles. If it had the third party support and Sega wasn't suffering from all the in fighting the Saturn easily could have reigned supreme. It's easy to look back now and see what put the nails into the coffin though.

In terms of features of the console The Saturn wins hands down. It does everything a modern console can do. Online multiplayer gaming, it could browse the web, you could watch Video CDs, listen to audio CDs, view photo CDs, easily play import games, built in memory storage, had the best 2 D game pad ever made, and in Japan it even had freakin GPS attatchment. That's everything a modern console can do and more.

That's why the Sega Saturn is my personal favorite console right now. Sega was awesome for all the quirky games it produced. It's offered me something fresh these past few years and I really wish I could have experienced Sega back when they were still in the fight.

[segasaturndude]

i gotta say playstation 1 has been my personal favorite console i have owned.its the greatest console for gaming and entertainment ive ever played other the the saturn